TORONTO -- Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty on Monday night picked up four trophies at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards, including best film.

Bigelow's drama about the hunt for Osama bin Laden also earned best director, best actress for Jessica Chastain and best screenplay for Mark Boal.

Also big at the Canadian critics’ kudosfest was Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, which brought Joaquin Phoenix the best actor prize, a best supporting actor trophy for Philip Seymour Hoffman and best supporting actress for Amy Adams.

Vancouver film critics gave Leos Carax's Holy Motors the best foreign-language film trophy, while Malik Bendjelloul's Searching for Sugar Man was chosen as the best documentary of 2012.

In the Canadian film categories, Kim Nguyen's Rebelle, a drama about child soldiers in Congo, won for best Canuck movie, while lead Rachel Mwanza won for best actress and Serge Kanyinda was selected best supporting actor.

And another Canadian film, Beyond the Black Rainbow, won three awards, including best British Columbia film, best Canadian director for Panos Cosmatos and best actor in a Canadian film for Michael Rogers.